When local residents met in Knights Ferry last month to discuss the effects of the almond boom on their quality of life, the emphasis was on domestic wells running dry, but there were many other concerns. One that received little media attention was the effects of almond orchards on wildlife. “Your people are shooting the […]
Environment
Pawns in the Water Game
Dr. Vance Kennedy was visiting Modesto Reservoir in eastern Stanislaus County last week when someone asked him what the likelihood is that almond orchards around the reservoir are pumping water from the reservoir via seepage into nearby aquifers. “One-hundred percent,” replied Kennedy. Kennedy retired from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) after winning its highest possible […]
Why Water Needs CEQA
The pipes extend in all directions from their exoskeleton pumping arrays, each one entering the ground like the alien proboscis of an off-world insect. Some of the arrays have as many as seven or eight 300 horsepower pumps, each one capable of lifting thousands of gallons of water a minute. These powerful pumping systems are […]
The Water Sale Mirage
Among the most sacred shibboleths of the water world’s power elite, none is more revered than the one that proclaims, “Water sales are wise and beneficial.” Of course, no member in good standing of water’s movers and shakers would ever refer to “water sales,” a vulgar and much too accurate description. The proper terminology is […]
Fresno County’s Water Follies
The latest production of the San Joaquin Valley water follies issues from the Fresno County Board of Supervisors, who’ve taken it upon themselves to ask Governor Brown, “to take even more stringent actions to be directed at reducing the state’s water consumption by imposing curtailments [of?] water supplies currently dedicated to the environment and fishery […]
The Irrigation District’s Water Math
Thursday, May 14, Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) General Manager Steve Knell told a group of local farmers he was more worried about OID’s financial situation than he was about the drought. Knell said OID lost $7 million last year and would lose $10 million this year. “Those losses will be made up with water sales,” […]
Water for Free?
“It’s almost like you live in Fairyland,” said Steve Knell last Thursday in a meeting in the Oakdale Irrigation District (OID) boardroom. Knell is the district’s General Manager. He was responding to repeated queries from farmer Bob Frobose about OID’s apparent willingness to deliver water to Trinitas Partners while cutting back allotments for farmers with […]
Goodbye Lawn, Hello Desert
Within the past few decades, climatologists have discovered that urban development significantly alters climate. In part, this is because heat islands exist around urban areas as large numbers of homes use heaters in winter. The heat escaping from homes warms the surrounding air. The more homes there are, the greater the effect on temperature. In […]
Almonds Aren’t the Problem
Before they became the drought’s demon crop, almonds were the San Joaquin Valley’s reigning beauty queen. Residents and visitors gushed glowing praise during the annual bloom and most everyone agreed food doesn’t get any better than a tasty snack that’s also good for you. But that was before four years of drought escalated California’s long […]
Dr. Kennedy: Water and Drought in the Valley
Dr. Vance Kennedy has received the Distinguished Service Award from the Environmental Protection Agency for his work with the U.S. Geological Survey. Now in his nineties, Dr. Kennedy maintains an active interest in water and land use issues in California and especially in the San Joaquin Valley. The following essay represents some of his latest […]